


Chrysalis

by Lady_Nemesis



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-05-15 06:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Nemesis/pseuds/Lady_Nemesis
Summary: Something found on a Wraith-decimated planet becomes so much more than anyone expects.





	1. An Unsettling Discovery

Even from the ‘Gate, Sheppard could see the thick, black smoke. “All right, everyone,” he announced, a serious look on his face. “Let’s keep our eyes open.” Behind him, his team fanned out. Teyla moved to the right and Ronon to the left, leaving Rodney to bring up the rear.

“What do you remember about these people, Teyla?” Sheppard asked quietly, glancing at the young woman. “Those that live on the outskirts are mainly farmers or raise animals. Further into the settlement, there are metalworkers, healers, the sort of people normally found in a large settlement of this kind,” she answered, her brown eyes scanning the foliage around them.

“Maybe they should have found themselves some soldiers,” Ronon observed in a low tone as they came upon a clearing. Bodies littered the ground, some unmarked while others bore the unmistakable emaciated look of Wraith victims. “I don’t think the soldiers would have fared much better,” Rodney muttered, his eyes wide as he surveyed the carnage.

Sheppard, his eyes narrowed, swore under his breath and keyed his communicator. “Atlantis, this is Sheppard. The Wraith have been here,” he said almost angrily. “Any survivors, Colonel?” he heard Elizabeth Weir ask. “None yet. We’ve only reached the outskirts of the main settlement.” “Keep us posted, Colonel.” “Will do. Sheppard out.”

Teyla looked as if she was about to speak but was cut off by a low moan. Her alert eyes scanned the bodies. She moved closer and, after checking a few of them, found the poor soul that was just barely alive.

The woman might have been young but there was no way to tell. Her hair was stark white, her eyes gray with pain and her skin stretched taut over her high cheekbones. “Must…protect,” she barely managed to wheeze. Teyla, on one knee beside the dying woman, gently took her hand. “I do not understand,” she murmured and the woman took a heavy, wheezing breath. “Temple…chrysos…must…protect…not…die,” the woman gasped and then her body went rigid. A moment later, the poor soul was dead, her body limp and unmoving. Teyla murmured an Athosian prayer and rose to her feet.

“What did she say?” Sheppard asked curiously, having checked the immediate area for any further sign of the Wraith. “There is something in their temple that must be protected. She called it a chrysos,” Teyla answered and Rodney blinked. “I wonder if it means the same thing to us,” he put in and Teyla looked at him. “Caterpillars use them to become butterflies. Our word is chrysalis.” He got blank looks from Teyla and Ronon. He sighed heavily. “A cocoon.” Teyla nodded and Ronon just glared at him. “Going back to work now,” he muttered and continued to scan for energy readings. “Well, keep up. Ronon, you take point. Let’s see if we can’t find this temple she was talking about,” Sheppard ordered and they moved out.

~*~

Nearly half an hour had passed before they reached a building near the edge of the main settlement. 

“This is their temple, Colonel,” Teyla informed him, gesturing at the pyramid shaped building that stood on the other side of the clearing. “Pyramid. Why am I not surprised?” Rodney laughed and Sheppard flashed him a look. “Okay. Shutting up…for now,” he snapped and brought up the rear as Ronon entered the temple first, his weapon drawn. Sheppard entered next and then Teyla. “Clear,” Sheppard called out and then Rodney went in.

He blinked rapidly and peered around the immense room. Sheppard was checking over the few bodies that lay on the floor while Ronon stood guard. Rodney’s eyes found Teyla near what appeared to be a big fish tank. There was a hole in the side and something lay in the bottom. “What is it?” he called out, not moving any closer. She turned and looked at him, sorrow filling her dark eyes. “I believe it is the chrysos. We were too late,” she replied and moved aside. Sheppard moved over to her and peered inside the tank. The object was dark blue and ovoid in shape. Its surface looked rough and cratered though the part that was still underwater was smooth and full. “There must have been one hell of a caterpillar in there,” he commented quietly and turned to Rodney. “Can you check it for life signs, McKay?” “Of course, I can,” he replied brightly and carefully stepped over the emaciated body of a man that lay right in the middle of the aisle way. Holding up the scanner, he slowly moved it back and forth over the cocoon. His eyes widened. “Whatever’s in there…it isn’t dead. But I think it’s dying,” he told Sheppard. The soldier stared at him. “Dying…of what?” Sheppard demanded, taking another look at the cocoon. Teyla spoke up. “There is barely any water in this container. Perhaps it is the water that kept it alive,” she suggested and McKay nodded. “Kind of a womb thing, you know? It’s the liquid that sustains it like with pregnant women,” he observed and Sheppard nodded in understanding. “And you know all about pregnant women, right?” Ronon sneered from his position by the door.

Sheppard rolled his eyes and keyed his communicator. “Atlantis, this is Sheppard. Request permission to bring back living subject in, well, stasis,” he said urgently, pulling his canteen free of his belt. Teyla did the same and they began to pour water slowly over the cocoon. “Colonel, what do you mean by living subject in stasis? I thought the D’iaa weren’t technologically advanced enough for that,” Dr. Weir asked and he sighed heavily. “It’s a cocoon, Elizabeth, and whatever is inside is dying. If these people were willing to die to protect it, there’s probably a reason,” he reported and there was silence. “What do you need on my end?” she finally asked and Teyla smiled at him, pointing to the cocoon. The surface of the ovoid object had begun to smooth and fill out again. Sheppard smiled. “A big tank of water, for starters. The cocoon’s about a foot long and probably 10 inches around. It might not hurt to have Carson handy too. At least until we can figure out what’s inside,” he replied and then told Teyla, “See if there’s anything here that we can transport it in. We’re going to have to move fast.” She nodded and began searching the ransacked temple.

A few feet away, Rodney held up what looked to be a white fabric sack. “How about this?” he suggested with a smile and Sheppard stared at him. “Is it waterproof?” he snapped and the smile on Rodney’s face faltered a little. Then he brightened again and popped open his canteen, pouring water into the sack. Nothing came out and the fabric didn’t even get wet. “That’ll work,” Sheppard told him and Teyla hurried over to Rodney. “Ronon, we need your canteen,” Sheppard called out and a moment later, Ronon’s canteen flew through the air. Teyla shot him an irritated glance after catching it. “You could have simply brought it to me,” she informed him and he gave her an irreverent smile. “I know,” was all he said before turning back to the door.

Teyla and Rodney emptied all four canteens into the sack. “Keep one in case we need more water from the tank,” Rodney said as they carried the sack to the tank in question. “I have already thought of that,” she commented quietly. Carefully hanging the sack over one corner of the tank, Rodney looked at Teyla. She looked back at him and smiled. “You are the scientist,” she said and he stared at her. “That doesn’t mean I’m touching it,” he snapped, looking indignant at the thought of touching the cocoon. She simply shook her head and tilted her head toward the sack. “Hold it open and I will put the cocoon inside,” she told him, reaching into the tank. As her hands came in contact with the cocoon, it shuddered. Hesitating slightly, she took a deep breath and gently curled her hands around it. It shuddered again but went still as she lifted it out of the water. “Colonel, it feels like it has a heartbeat,” she whispered, glancing at Sheppard as she carefully moved it toward the sack. “Are you sure?” he asked, grasping the opening of the sack and helping Rodney hold it open. She nodded and put the cocoon inside the sack. As her hands released it and the water surrounded it, it seemed to spasm for a moment and then stopped. Sheppard looked inside the sack. The water just barely covered it. “More water,” he said and Teyla filled one of the canteens, emptying it into the sack and repeating the process twice more until the tank was practically empty. “I hope it is enough,” she commented worriedly as Rodney and Sheppard gingerly lifted the sack. “Me too,” Sheppard replied with a slight smile. Teyla held out her arms. “I will carry it. There is a sling strap that will make it simpler to carry,” she told them, showing them the strap that had gone unnoticed when the sack was found. Rodney helped her loop the strap around her shoulders while Sheppard held the sack itself.

“Ronon, we’re moving out,” Sheppard called out and Ronon nodded. He was the first one out and gave the ‘clear’ signal. As he, Teyla and Rodney left the temple, he said, “Watch our six. I’ll take point.” Ronon glanced at the sack. “If you say so,” he said and waited for Sheppard, Teyla and Rodney to start back the way they had come.

~*~

Teyla checked the sack periodically as they hurried back to the ‘Gate. It showed no sign of leaking and she was happy for that. The only thing that worried her was that the amount of water seemed to be lessening as time passed.

When they reached the ‘Gate, Rodney quickly dialed Atlantis. Ronon and Sheppard kept an eye on their surroundings. With a loud ‘whoosh’, the ‘Gate opened. “Teyla, go on. The tank should be ready by now,” Sheppard ordered as she headed through the eye. Rodney was right behind her. Sheppard and Ronon brought up the rear.

Stepping into Atlantis’ gate room, Teyla saw that Dr. Beckett was standing beside a large clear container of water. She smiled slightly as she reached him. “It will be grateful for the water, Dr. Beckett. I believe it has absorbed part of the water we carried it in,” she told him and he smiled back at her. “Let’s get it into the tank and we’ll see how it does,” he told her, helping her lift the strap from her shoulders. Together, they carried it to the tank and lowered it in. When the sack touched the bottom, the doctor carefully lifted the cocoon out and set it on the bottom while Teyla pulled the sack back out. Surprisingly, the cocoon didn’t shudder or spasm when he touched it. Instead, it seemed to visibly pulse. “That feels like a heartbeat,” he exclaimed, his accent thickening with surprise. “That is what I felt when I lifted it from its container. However, it seemed to shudder when I touched it. It did not do that when you touched it,” she said and his look of surprise was almost comical. “Maybe it likes you, Doc,” Sheppard commented with a grin as Dr. Weir joined them. The Scotsman just huffed softly and signaled for two corpsmen to help him move the tank. The water sloshed slightly as the tank was moved and Beckett glared at them. “Slowly, for God’s sake. We don’t want to kill it,” he snapped as he followed them out of the gate room.

Dr. Weir waited until they were gone before turning to Sheppard. “No other survivors, I take it?” she asked and he shook his head. “The bastards wiped them out,” he said in a low voice. “And it didn’t look like they even bothered to try culling them. Some of them were killed outright while others were fed on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Wraith do something like that before. How that one woman held on, I’ll never know.” She nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. “Teyla, did the woman give you any idea about what was inside the cocoon?” she asked curiously and the Athosian shook her head. “She said only that it must be protected and not be allowed to die. The poor woman did not have the strength to say any more,” she replied sadly. “Well, I want to get all of you debriefed and then we can check in with Dr. Beckett,” Dr. Weir told her and motioned for the team to follow her.

As they trooped up the stairs, Teyla cast one more glance in the direction that Dr. Beckett had gone with the cocoon. She sincerely hoped that whatever was inside would survive.


	2. Awakening

_One week later_

Carson checked the heart monitor one more time and made a notation on the chart he held. Looking closely at the cocoon, he realized that it had grown considerably since Col. Sheppard’s team had brought it back from P8X-922.

“How’s the pod?” he heard Ronon ask from behind him. Carson turned and regarded him warily. “It’s grown 17 inches and the vital signs are good. Why the interest?” he asked in reply. The bigger man sighed. “Teyla’s worried about it. I figured I’d ask and maybe ease her mind,” he explained after glancing around. It was as if he didn’t want anyone to know he was asking after it. Carson smiled slightly. “Well, tell her that it’s doing fine. And, Ronon, it’s a cocoon, not a pod. Cocoons hold living creatures while pods hold plant life,” he said and Ronon nodded.

Nothing more was said though Carson watched Ronon as he left the infirmary. He had a feeling that even Ronon was worried about the wee thing. And he wasn’t the only person to ask about the cocoon. Rodney had been in a few times and so had Dr. Zelenka. To his complete surprise, even Col. Caldwell had asked after the cocoon more than once.

He gently patted the side of the tank. “Don’t worry, the curiosity will soon wear off and they won’t come stare at you anymore,” he said in a reassuring tone. The cocoon, having started floating in the middle of the tank a few days before, rolled a few times and then stopped. “Aye, I know the feeling,” he sighed and started to turn away from the tank.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the cocoon suddenly start to spin wildly in the water, sections of it bulging outward. He looked at the heart monitor and his eyes widened. According to the machine, the cocoon’s pulse had abruptly flown up by 30 points. “Bloody hell,” he gasped, climbing on the platform around the tank and pushing up his sleeves. Plunging his hands into the cool water, he gently let his fingers trail over the surface of the cocoon. It continued to spin in the water as he carefully probed it for signs of having broken open. Worried that he wouldn’t spot any because of the spinning, he practically screamed for one of the nurses.

Sarah Harper hurried in and immediately saw what he was missing. Streams of bubbles were issuing from one lower end of the cocoon. “There on the right end,” she told him and he managed to get one of his hands over the end. The cocoon suddenly stopped spinning though it heaved a few times. Behind her, Dr. Weir stood in the doorway, Sheppard and Teyla flanking her.

“Dr. Beckett, what’s happening?” Weir demanded, coming into the infirmary. “I think it’s breaking open,” he told her as he carefully pulled it closer to the surface. It was almost there when a piece of the cocoon popped free and dropped to the bottom. Carson was so surprised he started to drop it, barely catching it before it fell. Another piece fell away and something moved inside the cocoon. “Let it drop, Doc. You don’t know what’s in there,” Sheppard ordered, drawing his sidearm and moving toward the tank. Carson stared at him. “The hell I will. If it needs oxygen, it’ll drown in the tank,” he bellowed, still holding the cocoon. Sheppard jumped onto the platform. “Fine. But if something from Alien comes out, you’re dropping it and I’m firing. Understood?” “That’s fine, Colonel. Just move over. I need the room,” Carson snapped, looking at Sheppard angrily. He moved and Carson carefully pulled the cocoon back up until it was just below the surface. As he did, a large chunk of it floated free and what looked like wispy hair appeared. A moment later, he saw a small, very human hand poke out of the side. “Jaysus Christ!” he gasped and lifted the cocoon straight out of the water. “Sarah, get that table over here!” he shouted as he turned with the cocoon in his arms. She pushed the table over to him just as he came down off the platform, Sheppard still beside him. “Be careful, Doc,” he warned as Carson carefully pulled a piece of the cocoon away.

Carson ignored him, intent upon freeing whoever was inside the cocoon. As he pulled away one particularly large piece, he stopped suddenly. He leaned over the cocoon and peered inside, an expression of pure shock on his face. Eyes as blue as the water that surrounded Atlantis peered back at him. A smile curved his lips and he pulled away more of the cocoon. The more he pulled away, the bigger his smile became. “I need a warming blanket now,” he ordered and one suddenly appeared on the table. With one hand, he spread it open and then reached into the cocoon. Gasps and exclamations of surprise and shock filled the air as he lifted the contents out and gently laid it on the blanket, wrapping it in the warm fabric.

There on the table, swaddled in the warming blanket, was a chubby and very adorable little girl. She looked to be barely a year old with wide blue eyes and damp blonde hair. Her chubby hands were wrapped around Carson’s arm as she stared at them.

Dr. Weir spoke first. “A child. There was a child in that thing?” she breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at the child. The little girl suddenly smiled and waved her hand around. Teyla smiled. “The woman said that what was inside the chrysos must not be allowed to die. Now we know why that was so important,” she said softly, her eyes glowing with amazement. 

Sarah stepped forward. “I’ll weigh her for you, Dr. Beckett,” she offered and reached for the little girl. To everyone’s surprise, the little one wailed loudly, tears welling up in her eyes as she clutched tighter at Carson’s arm. He gently lifted her into his arms and cuddled her against his chest for a few moments until she calmed down. “It’s all right, wee lassie. I think I’d best do it, Sarah,” he said with a slight smile. 

Sheppard, speechless for a moment, suddenly spoke. “I told you it liked you.” Dr. Weir smiled. “She, John. She likes Carson,” she said gently and looked at the little girl clinging to Carson’s shirt.

Carson turned away from the table, the little girl in his arms peeking up at him through long lashes. “Let’s get you weighed and measured, lass,” he told her and she grinned broadly, showing perfect white baby teeth. “I’ll be-.” “What is it, Carson?” Dr. Weir asked, coming over to him. “Her teeth. Baby teeth, yes, but they’re perfect,” he breathed in amazement. “If I didn’t know any better, Elizabeth, I’d swear that she’s at least a year old.” He set the little girl gently on the scale, holding her hands so she wouldn’t fall. “She has the right weight for a year old,” he observed and pointed at the chart that had been tossed onto the nearby counter. “Could you write that down for me, Elizabeth?” he asked and she nodded. “27 pounds and she is…let’s lay you down, lass, I have to see how long you are,” he told the child and smiled when she did just that. “And she’s 32 inches tall or long, however you want to look at it,” he observed and then lifted the little girl back into his arms.

A chubby hand reached up and gently touched his cheek. For a split second, Carson could have sworn that he felt warmth radiating from that little hand. He looked into her eyes and she stared back at him. There was something in those ocean-blue eyes that seemed old for such a young face and he found himself wondering just why the D’iaa had believed that she was so special. But before he could comment on anything, the little girl laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes. In seconds, she was fast asleep. Considering what she had gone through to get out of the cocoon, he didn’t find it strange.

“Poor wee thing’s exhausted,” he commented softly, smiling at Elizabeth. “After all that, I guess I would be too.” She smiled back at him. “Since she likes you so much, I’d like you to take charge of her, Carson. We need to know everything we can about her and you’re a doctor so you’re the logical choice,” she told him quietly, holding up a hand as he opened his mouth to speak. “I’m aware that you have extensive duties as Chief Medical Officer but I think she would appreciate it if you were the one to care for her.” Carson’s mouth closed, opened and then closed again. He looked at the little girl in his arms for a short while. Her fingers were still clenched in his shirtfront, just not so tightly now. Almost dry blonde curls fell over her closed eyes and dark lashes rested on rosy cheeks. She was content sleeping in his arms. That fact made up his mind. “All right,” he murmured, raising his head to look Elizabeth in the eyes. “I’ll take charge of caring for her but I may need more help in and out of the infirmary.” “I understand and you’ll get all the help you need. In fact, we’ll all help out as much as we can,” Elizabeth assured him. She gave John a pointed glance when he looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “Yeah, we’ll help too,” he said in agreement, giving Elizabeth a look that said ‘we need to talk about this’.

No one said anything for a few moments but Carson noticed that a few of the nurses were peeking into the room. He sighed heavily. “The first thing I’ll need are clothes for her. She can’t be going about in a blanket,” he said briskly and Teyla smiled. “I am sure that I can find some among my people,” she offered and Carson nodded gratefully. “I’d appreciate that, Teyla. Thank you.” Elizabeth looked at the sleeping child and then she pressed her palm to her forehead. “I just realized that she doesn’t have a name…well, that we know of, anyway,” she said quietly. “She needs a name.” “You might want to keep it simple,” John suggested, trying to be helpful. “Maybe something short and easy to remember.” Carson smiled slightly. “I know just the name.” He glanced at Elizabeth, Teyla and John. “Mary.” “It is a lovely name,” Teyla said with a smile. “It’ll be easy for her to say,” John observed, wincing when Elizabeth’s elbow connected with his ribs. “Aye, it’ll do,” Carson murmured as he carried the sleeping child over to the nearest bed. He gently laid her down on it and pulled the blanket over her.  
“Sweet dreams, wee Mary,” he whispered as he carefully raised the side rails so she wouldn’t roll out of the bed. Lowering the light in the room as he turned away, he shooed everyone out. “She needs her sleep,” he reminded them as he picked up her chart and followed them to the door. Teyla promised to visit the mainland immediately to find clothes for little Mary and Elizabeth told him to just buzz her if he needed anything for her. Sheppard just nodded, a mumbled ‘what she said’ the only thing he said before leaving.

Carson looked back at the bed once more before going into the next room. He was going to have his hands full.

~*~

It took less than two hours for virtually everyone in Atlantis (and on board the visiting Daedalus) to find out that a little girl had come out of the strange cocoon that Col. Sheppard’s team had brought back a week earlier. That, along with the news of Carson being named as the little girl’s ‘father’, was enough to convince people that they had to have a peek at the newest resident of Atlantis.

~*~

_Later that afternoon_

Hearing a soft sound from the curtained area where Mary was supposed to be sleeping, Carson hurried in to make sure that she was all right. He stopped in his tracks when he pulled back the curtain. Rodney, Zelenka, Cadman and Lorne were at the foot of the bed watching Mary sleep.

“What the bloody hell are ye all doin’ here? Can’t you see the lass is trying to sleep?” he hissed quietly. Four guilty faces turned to him. “Sorry, Carson, but she’s so cute,” Laura whispered, smiling slightly. “Cutest kid I’ve ever seen,” Lorne agreed. “I may not interact well with children, but she’s absolutely enchanting,” Zelenka admitted, a sheepish smile on his face. “Doesn’t look a thing like you, Carson,” Rodney commented and that brought chuckles from Lorne and Zelenka. Carson frowned. “Yes, she is adorable. She is also taking a much-needed nap so would ye all kindly leave her be?” he told them and three of the four nodded. Rodney was still peering speculatively at the sleeping child.

Laura, Zelenka and Lorne filed out, leaving Rodney behind. The Scotsman glared at Rodney, who finally looked at him. “Any idea what she is yet?” he asked solicitously and Carson scowled. “Every test I’ve performed indicates that she is human. Now would you go away and let her sleep?” Carson snapped and then glanced at Mary to see if his raised voice had woken her. She hadn’t woken up and he silently sighed in relief. Ronon and Bates had woken her up earlier when they’d snuck in to look at her and it had taken him forever to get her back to sleep. Rodney held up his hands defensively. “Relax, Dr. Dad. I’m going,” he joked as he hustled it out of the infirmary. He stopped at the door and looked back. “She is beautiful, Carson,” Rodney said seriously and then walked out. Carson stared after the scientist. That last comment had been completely unlike the Canadian. He wondered for a moment where it had come from but then shook his head. He’d worry about that later. Right now, he had more paperwork to do.


	3. Oh, The Joys of Parenthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more to being a father than he expected.

Mary only stayed in the infirmary for a few days since it quickly became apparent that she was fully capable of climbing out of the high bed and walking around. She’d also picked up speech quite rapidly as well.

She called Carson ‘Da’, which was understandable. Laura was ‘Teh Ora’, her rank included in her name. Elizabeth was ‘Wibef’, which delighted her to no end. Mary heard Sheppard’s name twice and christened him ‘Seper’. Hearing that in reference to the colonel caused a lot of giggling. She called Ronon and Teyla by the closest things to their names that she could say: ‘Ohnin’ and ‘Ayah’. Rodney was simply called ‘Onny’ and Zelenka was known as ‘Senka’. While a few people grumbled about the way she said their names, the rest just thought it was cute.

It also became brutally apparent to everyone who met Mary that she had attached herself to the Scottish doctor, heart and soul. That was how Elizabeth decided that, for all intents and purposes, Carson would be Mary’s legal guardian. That was also when the little girl from P8X-922 became forever known to Atlantis personnel as Mary Beckett.

~*~

By the end of Mary’s first week out of the infirmary, Carson was sure that everyone in Atlantis was conspiring to drive him mad. That was the only explanation that he could think of for everything that had happened.

~*~

On Monday morning, he’d introduced Mary to her new home in his quarters. She seemed to like everything just fine, especially the little doll that Lt. Cadman had made for her out of a few t-shirts. He did, however, make the mistake of turning his back on her for almost five minutes. During that time, she discovered his aftershave and damn near drenched herself with it. After four baths, during which she was very vocal about her unhappiness with the situation, she almost smelled like a little girl again. It would be the first time of many that he would be eternally grateful to the Athosian woman who had so freely donated clothing to the cause of dressing Mary.

There was also the matter of the ice cream that afternoon. What Sheppard had been thinking when he let her eat two bowls of it was completely beyond him. He was fairly sure that Sgt. Bates wouldn’t make the mistake of picking Mary up…ever again. All of that ice cream had been too much for her little tummy and she’d spewed it all over the poor man. And, to top it off, she’d started crying at the disgusted look on the sergeant’s face. So, between apologizing profusely to Sgt. Bates, chewing out Sheppard and trying to calm Mary, he was exhausted well before the lass’s bedtime.

Tuesday wasn’t all that good either. Ronon had offered to watch Mary while he was on duty in the infirmary and he’d reluctantly allowed the Satedan to babysit. During a short break, he’d searched out Ronon and the little girl and gotten the shock of his life. He’d found them on the target range and Ronon was teaching Mary how to hold his gun! That had earned Ronon an epic ass-chewing from Sheppard, Elizabeth and himself. Mary had gotten a stern talking-to that had abruptly stopped when that bottom lip poked out and tears welled up in her eyes. Needless to say, they were both worn out that night and sleep came easily.

He learned on Wednesday that Dr. Heightmeyer had actually brought makeup with her to Atlantis. That discovery came when he picked Mary up from Dr. Heightmeyer’s office at the end of his shift. God help him, the wee lass looked like a clown. All that was missing was the bright orange hair. There was also a bruise on one of her knees from falling while wearing a pair of Kate’s shoes. By bedtime that night, thankfully, Mary was the exhausted one.

It wasn’t until Thursday that Mary’s actions brought more laughs than anguish. Carson wasn’t on duty that day so he’d decided to show Mary around Atlantis. During that time, they stopped in to see a few people, especially Rodney and Zelenka. Rodney was working on some Ancient device so Zelenka took a moment to visit with him and Mary. He was surprised at how well Mary took to Radek since the scientist swore he wasn’t good with children. Radek was showing Mary how his extending pointer worked when she poked Rodney square in the butt with it. The Canadian jumped about a foot in the air and Mary laughed like crazy. And she wasn’t the only one. Everyone else in the room cracked up laughing while Rodney looked at Mary indignantly. That look faded when she suddenly ran to him and hugged his legs. She’d looked up at him with those big blue eyes and said, “I sowwy, ‘Onny’.” The room filled with sighing ‘Aww’s, which made Rodney blush furiously.

Friday was the day that Mary discovered Jell-O. And, once again, the end result had Sheppard’s name all over it.

~*~

Carson had taken Mary to the cafeteria to eat dinner which was normal. Ronon and Teyla had joined them just after Carson had put a small bowl of blue Jell-O on her tray. It was in cubes so it was easier for her to eat…and, apparently, to throw. Before Carson could spot it, Mary scooped up four little cubes of the gelatin and slung it across the table, hitting Ronon dead in the face. Silence fell over the room as Mary giggled. Carson stared at Ronon in shock, sure that the big man was about throttle his wee Mary. Across the table, Teyla was fighting the laughter that threatened to escape her.

“Mary, stop that!” Carson admonished, pushing the bowl of Jell-O out of her reach. He tossed Ronon a napkin. “I am so sorry. God knows where she got the idea to do that,” he apologized, praying that the Satedan wasn’t too angry. Ronon wiped the Jell-O off his face and shook his head. “No harm done,” he said slowly and then looked over at the door to the cafeteria. “And I think I have a pretty good idea where she learned how to do that.” Carson turned and saw Sheppard coming in. “Bloody hell! He didn’t,” he mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He made a mental note never to allow Mary to have lunch with Sheppard again.

“Hey, Sheppard! Mary has something to show you,” Ronon called out, smiling wickedly as he nudged the small bowl back within Mary’s reach. Teyla snorted softly and covered her mouth with her hands as the little girl scooped up some cubes. Sheppard came over to the table and squatted down beside Teyla’s chair. He smiled brightly at Mary. “What have you got there, munchkin?” he asked teasingly. Once more, Jell-O cubes flew through the air along with the jubilant cry of “Jeddo, Seper.” Too surprised to duck, Sheppard got nailed in the face with the cubes. He laughed after a moment and looked over at Ronon. “She’s got a good throw, doesn’t she?” he joked and Carson groaned. “That’s not the point, Colonel. She doesn’t need to be throwing food at people. I have a hard enough time as it is just getting it into her belly,” Carson told him in a scolding manner. 

Sheppard sobered and nodded. “You’re right and I’m very sorry.” He looked at Mary. “No more throwing Jell-O, munchkin. Okay?” he said sternly and Mary gave him a solemn look before nodding.

After dinner, it was back to his quarters and bath time for wee Mary. As always, she’d managed to get as much food on her clothes as she did in her stomach. Once she was all cleaned up, Carson put her to bed with her little doll and told her a quick story. Thankfully, she fell asleep quickly. He dropped into his own bed and barely remembered to turn out the lights before falling asleep. This parenting business was harder than he thought.


	4. A Father's Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing prepared him for this.

Over a month had passed since Mary’s arrival in Atlantis and she was the darling of the city. People couldn’t help but smile when they saw her and everyone remarked on how intelligent she was for her age. That observation was just the beginning of Carson’s worries.

~*~*~

“Da,” Carson vaguely heard as he fought his way out of sleep. “Wha’s wrong, Mary?” he mumbled sleepily as he pushed himself into a sitting position. His bleary eyes focused on the little girl standing next to his bed. “I hurt, Da,” she whispered, hugging herself. There were tears in her eyes and she looked like she wasn’t feeling all that well. Carson reached out and lifted her onto the bed, waiting until she cuddled against him before he spoke again. “How do you hurt, lass?” he asked, wondering if she’d eaten something that didn’t agree with her. She straightened her legs and touched her knees, then her elbows. “Hot hurt,” she whimpered, leaning her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and gently hugged her. “Are those the only places that hurt?” he asked her and she shook her head. That worried him. She’d had a checkup just two weeks ago and she’d been perfectly fine. If she was in pain, he wasn’t sure if he could really give her anything for it. She was just too small for that…no, wait. Mary wasn’t as small as she’d been a month ago. Only yesterday, Teyla had commented on the fact that Mary seemed to be swiftly outgrowing her clothes. He looked at his daughter closely. She did look a tad bit older but he’d assumed that most children did that. Now, though, he wondered if he’d been wrong to make that assumption.

Still holding her, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and used his foot to find his shoes. He slipped his feet into them and carefully stood up. “Let’s go take some pictures of your insides and we’ll see if we can’t fix the hurt,” he suggested with a gentle smile and she nodded almost sleepily. As she laid her head on his shoulder, panic welled up in his chest as he felt the heat of her skin. “She must be running a hell of fever,” he thought and quickly left his quarters.

As he hurried down the corridor towards the infirmary, he ran into Elizabeth. He didn’t even acknowledge her greeting; he just kept going. Mary had gone limp in his arms. 

Dr. Hale was on duty and she smiled when he came in but her smile faded when she saw the look of worry on his face. “What happened?” she asked briskly as Carson laid Mary on the nearest bed. “She woke me up and said that she hurt. Knees, elbows and other places. And she’s running a fever,” he answered, turning the light so he could get a better look at his daughter. Her fair skin was much paler now and she shivered. Her little hands were clenched into fists and her legs seemed to spasm every few seconds. Reaching for a blood pressure/pulse bracelet, Dr. Hale quickly put it on Mary’s wrist and let it run. It beeped and she checked it. “BP’s normal but her pulse is way up,” she told Carson as she pulled out a digital thermometer and slid the tip of it into Mary’s ear. When she pulled it out, her eyes widened. “She’s running a fever all right. Look at this,” she observed, holding it out to him. He took it from her and stared at the readout. 104.3 degrees. That couldn’t be right. He’d never heard of a fever that spiked that quickly. “Mary, can you hear me, lass? It’s Da,” he said, gently rubbing her hand. She made a small sound in her throat almost like a whimper. “Don’t worry, sweetling. I’ll make it better,” he told her before looking over to where Dr. Hale was setting up the equipment for blood work. “We’ll be wanting the full spectrum, Allison,” he called out quietly and she simply nodded.

As she returned with the test tubes, she suggested, “It wouldn’t hurt to wake up Dr. Harvey and have him get the CT and X-Ray ready. Just to be on the safe side, I mean.” The sympathy and compassion in her eyes somehow calmed him and he knew that she was right. “I’ll draw the blood if you’ll wake him up. He hates it when I do that,” Carson said half-jokingly, knowing full well that Eli Harvey hated being woken up in the middle of the night, period. “He won’t make a single complaint when he finds out who it’s for,” Allison told him with a smile and went over to the infirmary’s comm desk. She barely nodded at Elizabeth who stood in the doorway watching.

“I’m sorry to do this, lass, but I have to,” he murmured to Mary a few seconds before the needle popped through her skin and into a vein. She only whimpered softly in response and his worry grew. The last time she’d had blood work done, the wee lass had thrown a screaming tantrum and cried for a good three hours. As blood filled the tubes, he kept glancing at her face. She was still so pale. Oh God, what if she died? How could he live with that? Catching himself, he told himself to stop thinking that way. He was a doctor, for God’s sake, and he knew he could figure out what was happening to her. At least he hoped he could.

“He’s on his way,” Allison reported a few minutes later as he capped the last of the test tubes. “And you’ll be happy to know that he wasn’t grumpy at all.” He gave her a half-smile. “That’s good to know. I’ll get these running if you’ll stay with her,” he said and she shook her head. “I’ll take care of the blood work, Carson. You stay here. It’ll do her good to know you’re with her,” Allison replied, taking the tubes from him and heading for the lab.

Carson was about to get a stool when he felt one push gently against the back of his legs. He turned his head and saw Elizabeth there behind him. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when I saw you,” he apologized, “but I was so worried about Mary that I didn’t think to.” She waved her hand slightly. “No apology is necessary. How is she?” she answered, sympathy apparent in her eyes. “I wish I knew,” he admitted shakily, sitting down on the stool and taking Mary’s little hand in his own. “She has a high fever and aching in the joints which could be any number of things. I’ll know more after her blood work comes back.” “And Dr. Harvey?” “I’m going to have him run a CT as well as x-rays. Maybe that could explain why she’s having the aching.” He hoped that it was something that he could fix. If it wasn’t, he didn’t know what he’d do. Elizabeth laid her hand on his shoulder. She seemed to know just how worried that he was. “You’ll find the answer, Carson. I have faith in you and so does she,” she murmured, gently squeezing his shoulder. He looked up at her, worry still evident on his face. “I hope you’re right, Elizabeth. I hope you’re right,” was all he said before turning back to his little girl.

~*~*~

Three hours later, all of the results were in. Mary seemed to be sleeping peacefully though her legs occasionally moved restlessly under the blankets. Carson stared at the lab results and shook his head.

“I don’t understand it. Her blood work is perfectly normal. There’s no sign of infection, her white count is excellent and her A1C is fine. How can she be running a fever if there’s nothing to cause it?” he wondered aloud, hoping that Eli had better news. He looked to the radiologist hopefully. “The x-rays show rapid lengthening of the bones,” Eli began in his soft voice. “That could explain the aching and heat in her joints. I’d almost swear that she was having growing pains. But she couldn’t be, right? I mean, physically, she’s only what, roughly a year old?” Carson nodded warily. While he didn’t show it, Eli was as worried about Mary’s health as he was. “What about the CAT scan? Were there any abnormalities?” Carson asked fearfully. Eli hesitated and Carson just knew that the news was bad. The older man put the films up on the light box and turned it on. “I’m not sure if this is an abnormality for her people, but there are signs that her brain is growing along with the rest of her. That could be the cause of the fever. The problem, Carson, is that I just don’t know enough about her people’s physiology to even make an educated guess,” he replied honestly and Carson’s fear grew even worse.

Sarah came in just then, a long strip of EEG paper in her hand. “Carson, you have to see this,” she breathed, holding it out to him. He took it from her and scanned it quickly. “This isn’t possible,” he murmured and looked at Eli and Allison. “According to this, almost 90% of her brain is active. And all of the activity is registering as higher brain function. That doesn’t even happen in us,” he explained, his brow furrowing as he tried to wrap his mind around the concept that Mary might not be as human as she appeared to be. “90%? Are you serious?” Eli exclaimed in disbelief, his dark eyes wide with amazement. Carson only nodded and handed him the EEG report strip. The older man scanned the strip and then scanned it again. “Forgive me for putting it like this, Carson, but what the hell is she?” he asked quietly, voicing the question that was on all of their minds. “I don’t know, Eli, but I’m going to find out,” Carson told him resolutely. “For Mary’s sake, I have to. It could determine whether or not she lives or dies.”

Silence filled the room as Carson’s words sunk in. They all knew that he dearly loved the little girl that lay in the next room. They also knew that he’d do everything in his power to save her.

But they all wondered the same thing: did he have the knowledge to save Mary?

~*~*~

Mary whimpered softly as the hurt got worse. She tried to call for Da but she couldn’t. It hurt too much. She didn’t understand why she hurt; all she knew was that it was bad and Da had promised to make it better. _“He will, ki’insa,”_ a soft voice murmured from someplace she couldn’t see. _“He will ease the pain. But you must be strong.”_. She didn’t know whose voice it was but it sounded like the voice knew what it was talking about. Maybe Da would know too.

~*~*~

The early morning silence was shattered by monitors suddenly going off, high-pitched beeping filling the infirmary. Those present, having relaxed for a little while, were suddenly bombarded with adrenaline.

Carson jerked awake as the monitors went off, looking at his daughter in horror. Her small body was convulsing violently, her head thrashing back and forth on the pillow. “Allison,” he shouted, jumping up and carefully trying to hold Mary still on the bed. She came in at a run, followed by Sarah and Eli.

While he and Sarah held Mary, Allison checked all of the monitors. “Heart rate is up and BP is at stroke level. Jesus Christ!” Allison exclaimed and turned to order an anticonvulsant. 

Before she could, however, every monitor flatlined.

“Oh God, no,” Carson gasped as Mary’s body suddenly went limp and still on the bed. He mentally scrambled to remember how to do CPR on a small child. It suddenly came to him and he simply did it, pulling Mary to him and performing what could be a life-saving procedure.

For ten minutes, he tried to get her heart going. But it wouldn’t start beating again.

“Carson, you have to stop,” Allison told him, pulling at his hands. He ignored her and kept trying. “She’s gone.” “No,” he sobbed, tears clouding his vision. “I just need a few more moments and I can bring her back.” Finally, Sarah and Eli had to forcibly stop him. His body shook with his sobs as he cradled Mary’s little body in his arms. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he slowly rocked her. “I promised I’d make it better,” he whispered, gently kissing her forehead. “You did everything you could,” Allison told him softly, her own tears running down her cheeks as she put an arm around his shoulders. She’d never lost a child but knew that it was devastating. “If I’d done everything I could, she wouldn’t be dead,” he whispered brokenly, barely looking at Allison. He could see the pain in her eyes and knew that, while it couldn’t match his, it was close to what he was feeling. She looked at Eli and nodded. “Carson, you have to call it,” the radiologist said softly, resting his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. Carson’s eyes went to the clock and, in a choked voice, said, “Time of death is 0540 hours.” But he wouldn’t let go of her; he still held her and still rocked her.

A gasping sob from the doorway made everyone but Carson turn. Teyla stood there, tears welling up in her dark eyes and tumbling down her cheeks. Beside her, Sheppard’s face was pale with shock. They’d watched the whole thing, unable to do anything but hope that Mary would make it.

“Give me a moment with her, please,” Carson murmured and Allison nodded, gesturing for the others to leave him alone. He needed privacy to tell his little girl goodbye.


	5. In Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, life is too short.

The beautiful eyes that Zelenka had called ‘Atlantis blue’ were closed, the long lashes resting on pale cheeks. Pretty blonde curls that were hell to brush but as soft as silk lay over the smooth skin of her forehead. The little mouth that smiled so easily was slack now and would never smile again. Carson had long since memorized Mary’s every facial feature but he found himself doing it again. He would have pictures of her, hundreds in fact, thanks to Kate Heightmeyer. She’d taken it upon herself to document Mary’s life for him, not knowing how short that life would be. He’d never imagined that she wouldn’t grow up. It had never even crossed his mind.

Brushing his fingers through her curls, he murmured, “Forgive me, lass. I tried so hard to save you.” Tears welled up in his eyes again as he remembered the way she always hugged him when he seemed to need it the most. He’d never get those hugs again and it nearly killed his soul to realize that. More than anything, he wished he could have one of those hugs right now.

He wondered if Mary had even known what she had done for him. She’d been a source of joy and hope for him and for so many others. Her sheer happiness at simply being here had been a morale booster better than any other. One little girl had brought happiness to Atlantis just by being alive. And now, that happiness would only be a memory.

Shifting her in his arms, he let her head rest on his shoulder. He held her tightly against him and began to softly sing an old lullaby he remembered from his childhood. As he sang to her, tears and sadness choked his voice but he continued to the end of the song. It was the least he could do for his wee Mary.

As the song ended, he could hear muted voices outside. Word of Mary’s death would spread through the city like wildfire. She had only been a little girl but she’d loved everyone and they’d damn near all loved her. Even Ronon, who spent most of his time straight-faced and grumpy, had softened when she was around. And Rodney, who tended to complain about her little quirks when it came to him, was always gentle with her. He wouldn’t bear her loss alone but the pain would never leave him.

He moved to lay her down on the bed but was stopped by a sudden feeling of warmth. Remembering what happened the first time Mary had touched his face, he gently shifted her until she was cradled in his arms. As one hand gently brushed the curls off her forehead and he was stunned to see the slight flutter of her eyelids. “Mary?” he whispered and then shook himself. Surely it was just a reflex tic. It had to be.

Laying her on the bed, he swiped at his eyes. He leaned on the bed, his weight on his arms as he closed his eyes. And that was when it happened.

“Da, don’t cry,” he heard a voice say and his eyes snapped open. As his eyes reached Mary’s face, twinkling Atlantis-blue eyes peered back at him. “I came back,” she told him and smiled as her hand touched his cheek.

He stared at her in amazement for a moment and then, for the first time in his life, passed out cold and fell backward, hitting the floor with a thud.

~*~*~

“Carson, can you hear me?” 

“Is Da all right, Teyla?” 

“You gave him a shock, Mary. I am sure he will be fine.” 

“I didn’t mean to. I just didn’t want him to cry no more.” 

That was what Carson heard as he made his way back to consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Faces appeared around him, one of them making his heart soar.

“Mary?” he whispered as a smile broke across her little face. “You’re alive?” 

“I had to go for a little bit but I came back,” she murmured, her voice completely at odds with her appearance. “I missed you, Da.” 

“Aye, lass. And I missed you,” he laughed softly as he slowly sat up. Mary was perched on the right side of the bed with Teyla and Sheppard on either side of her. On his left, Allison watched him wordlessly. Her face was pale but she was smiling. 

“You fainted,” he heard Rodney say accusingly from somewhere behind Sheppard. 

He only laughed as he held out his arms to his daughter. She giggled and practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He tilted his head back a little to look at her more closely. Her face was a bit thinner but there didn’t seem to be any major changes…at least not that he could see right then. 

“Is she all right?” he asked Allison and she nodded, still smiling. 

“She’s perfectly fine. I checked her over myself. Well, I did after I picked my jaw up off the floor,” Allison laughed, her smile growing brighter. 

“She will need more clothes though, Carson,” Teyla informed him with a mischievous smile. He looked at her questioningly but it was Allison who answered the look. 

“In three hours' time, she’s somehow grown and is now the size and weight of a 7 year old,” she explained and he looked at Mary. She smiled at him for a moment and hugged him again. 

“I’m gonna grow fast, Da,” she whispered in his ear. “Really fast.” “How old will you be next week?” he asked jokingly. 

With a mischievous, yet somehow serene, smile, she replied, “Nine.” 

At her reply, his face paled. “Good God, puberty is only a few weeks away,” he groaned and then laughed. He was just happy to have her back.


	6. A Day In The Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you're unique, a single day can be interesting.

He watched Mary as she ate breakfast. She had a good appetite and he was pleased to see that her ‘death’ two weeks earlier hadn’t caused any physical problems other than her growing. In fact, she seemed perfectly happy. A smile curved his lips as he saw her frown slightly.

“What’s wrong, lass?” he asked softly, setting down his cup of tea.

“Why can’t I go to the infirmary with you, Da?” she asked in reply and he sighed. They’d had this conversation last night.

“The infirmary is no place for you. Besides, Kate agreed to be your tutor and it’s important for you to be able to read and write,” he replied gently, remembering the hurt look on her face when she found out that she wouldn’t be able to spend all day with him. “I know you’d rather be with me, Mary, but your education is important.”

She frowned again and then sighed. “Okay. But I’d still rather stay with you,” she commented and wiped her mouth on her napkin. For a child, she had impeccable table manners.

“And I wish you could stay with me, but it’s actually against the rules. Elizabeth might yell at me,” he whispered as if sharing a major secret. His daughter giggled, smiling brightly.

“She wouldn’t yell at you, Da. She might frown a little but that’s all,” she told him and pushed her tray away from her.

He chuckled softly, knowing that she was likely right. “All finished?” he asked, picking up his cup and draining the last of his tea.

“Uh huh. Can we stop and see Teyla on the way to Kate’s? I forgot to say ‘thank you’ for the dress she gave me,” Mary answered as she slid out of her chair.

“Teyla gave you a dress? I didn’t see it,” he commented as he picked up their trays and carried them over to the counter. Mary followed behind him, skipping.

“That’s cuz it’s hanging up. It’s really pretty and it fits me just right. She says it’ll fit me for a long time too,” she answered, taking his hand as they left the cafeteria.

“You’ll have to show it to me sometime. And yes, we can stop and see Teyla,” he said with a chuckle as she swung her arm, making his own arm swing almost wildly.

As they made their way to Teyla’s quarters, everyone they ran into smiled and said hello to the little girl. She was such a friendly little girl that no one could help but respond in kind. Carson knew for a fact that more than a few of the Marines considered Mary to be their unofficial mascot.

Teyla was just leaving her quarters when they got there. The Athosian smiled kindly when she saw Carson and Mary. “Good morning, Carson. Good morning, Mary. How are you?” she asked as Mary ran to her and hugged her.

“We’re fine, Teyla. Mary wanted to come and say ‘thank you’ for the dress since she forgot to say it when you gave it to her,” Carson answered and Teyla laughed, returning Mary’s hug.

“Thank you, Teyla. I really like it,” Mary told her as she went back to Carson and took his hand again. “I am very glad you like it, Mary. You were the first person I thought of when I saw it,” she told the little girl. “And where are you off to today?”

Mary smiled. “Kate’s gonna tutor me so I can read and write,” she answered proudly.

“Really? That should be a great deal of fun for you,” Teyla said. “May I walk with you?”

Carson smiled at her. “Of course. We’d like that,” he replied, watching as Mary took Teyla’s hand. Teyla smiled at the little girl as they headed toward Kate’s office.

~*~

When they reached Kate’s office, she was waiting for them. Carson could see some books, paper, crayons and pencils on the small table near the window. He knew that she’d had to do a lot of explaining about the need for the school supplies when she’d made the request for them.

“Hi, Mary. How are you today?” she said as they came in. She was happy to see the little girl.

“I’m good. Guess what? Teyla gave me a pretty blue dress,” Mary chattered, sounding like an ordinary child.

“That’s great. Are you ready to get started?” she replied and the little girl nodded. She started to head for the table but stopped and ran back to her father.

“See you later, Da,” Mary laughed as Carson picked her up and hugged her. Hugging him back, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He kissed her cheek and set her down.

“I’ll see you at lunch. You behave for Kate, all right, Mary? No nonsense,” he told her with a smile and she giggled.

“I’ll be good, Da,” she told him and bounced over to the table, sitting down on a small stool and picking up one of the books.

Carson watched his daughter as she flipped through the pages of the book. It was good that she was showing an interest in learning. That might make the whole process easier for her.

Kate seemed to know what he was thinking. “She’s a bright child, Carson. I’m sure that she’ll do fine,” she said softly, lightly resting her hand on his arm.

He smiled at her. “I’m sure she will. I guess I still worry about her, considering what happened,” he replied.

“That’s understandable. Tutoring her will give me a chance to get a handle on how she’s doing emotionally. Going through something like that could leave residual effects and this is a good way to find out if there is any. I will say this much, though. Mary’s one of the happiest children I’ve ever met and it’s genuine happiness. In time, she’ll probably forget it ever happened. Children are more resilient than we give them credit for,” she told him reassuringly and Carson was surprised to find that he actually did feel a little better.

“Either way, let me know how she does today. And if you need to, just buzz me in the infirmary,” he replied and she smiled.

“You’ll get a full report, I promise. Now go on so I can get started,” Kate said, gently turning him around.

“Yes, ma’am,” Carson laughed softly, waving one more time at Mary before leaving the office and continuing on his way to the infirmary with Teyla.

~*~*~

Mary didn’t pay any attention to the grownups as they talked; she was too busy looking at the books that Kate had on the table.

_“It will take you little time to learn these words,”_ the soft voice said and Mary smiled. She wondered where the lady’s voice had gone.

“I know,” she whispered, “but Da wants me to learn everything I can.”

_“Your Da is a very wise man, ki’insa.”_

“Uh huh. But he still worries about me. I can tell,” she whispered even more softly, not wanting Kate or Da to hear her.

_“His worry will pass in time. It will not be much longer before you can tell him what he needs to learn about you,”_ the voice said reassuringly and Mary barely nodded. She turned her attention to the first page of the book and looked at the words.

“The Poky Little Puppy,” she read aloud and smiled. She’d just read for the very first time.

~*~*~

After Carson left, Kate walked over to where Mary had one of the little books open. As she came to a stop behind Mary, she heard the little girl clearly, and with no difficulty, say, “The Poky Little Puppy.”

“Mary,” she said as she sat down on the stool next to her. “Did Carson read this book to you?”

The little girl looked up at her. “No. Da just tells me stories,” she answered and she sounded sincere. That struck her as odd. If Carson hadn’t been reading to her, how could she know the phonetics and proper pronunciation of the words? She shook herself mentally and smiled at Mary.

“Let’s see how well you can read the rest of it,” she suggested and Mary smiled happily as she nodded.

The little girl turned a page and, surprising Kate once more, began to easily read the words.

~*~*~

Carson whistled softly as he went to Kate’s to pick up Mary for lunch. He hadn’t heard from the psychiatrist all morning and took it as a promising sign that Mary was doing well.

His own morning had gone rather well; there hadn’t been too many injuries. Laura had forgotten to put on her ankle wrap before using the treadmill and had irritated her Achilles tendon…again. He didn’t know what he was going to do with her if she wasn’t more careful. Sgt. Bates had developed a rash that looked suspiciously like poison ivy, though he didn’t have a clue where or when he’d actually gotten it. He was currently almost smothered in calamine lotion and not all that happy about it. Lorne had arrived with a nasty cut that he claimed came from a piece of paper but Carson didn’t believe that for a second. He knew a knife cut when he saw one. After cleaning out the cut and bandaging it, he’d sent the major on his way with a warning not to mess with Ronon’s knives anymore.

He stopped outside of Kate’s office and knocked politely. From inside, he heard her call out, “Come in, Carson.” He chuckled softly as he opened the door.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked laughingly and Kate smiled, glancing at her watch.

“It’s lunch time,” she answered, laughing softly. Beside her, Mary looked up from the piece of paper she was drawing on.

“Hi, Da. I’ll be done in a second,” she called out happily, waving at him with the hand that held a purple crayon.

“No hurry, Mary. I can wait,” he told her as Kate put her hand on his arm. He could tell that she wanted to talk to him privately.

“Is everything all right?” he asked worriedly once they were on the other side of the office.

Kate smiled reassuringly at him. “Everything’s fine, Carson. And I mean that. She’s in excellent spirits and she’s doing well emotionally,” Kate began. “What I wanted to tell you is that she’s also exceptionally intelligent. Mary has easily read every book that I ordered for her age group. And she can tell you the whole story from each one without looking back in the books. She’s also very good at printing. We’re already working on cursive writing,” she finished and Carson stared at her in disbelief.

“She’s read that entire stack already?” he breathed and Kate nodded. “And she can print?”

“Quite well. In fact, she prints better than I do,” the doctor laughed softly and Carson began to relax.

While he was surprised by her aptitude with reading and printing, he was happy to hear that, emotionally, she hadn’t suffered any ill effects from her ‘death’. Just as he was about to express his relief, Mary came bouncing over to him, the drawing in one hand and her shoes in the other.

“I made this for you,” she told him proudly and handed the paper to him. He took it from her and looked at it, his eyes widening in surprise.

She had drawn a scene that she couldn’t possibly have known about. There on the paper was her cocoon in water and a child’s rendering of himself with a stick hand on the cocoon. How did she know about that?

“It’s beautiful, Mary,” he told her and bent down to pick her up. As he lifted her up, he grunted softly. She was getting heavy. Carson gave her a hug and gestured at her shoes. “Shouldn’t those be on your feet?” he asked teasingly and she pouted slightly.

“They pinch my toes,” she told him and he sighed. _“Aye, she’s still growing,”_ he thought, mentally adding the shoes in her hand to the three other pairs that she’d outgrown in the last two weeks.

“Then ye’ll just have to go barefoot,” he announced, hugging her. She hugged him back and giggled.

“We’ll be back in about 45 minutes, Kate…unless you’d like to join us,” he offered almost shyly. Kate smiled but shook her head.

“Thank you, Carson, but I’m having lunch with Rodney,” she explained, her cheeks pinking slightly.

Carson grinned. “Well then, tell Rodney I said hello,” he said teasingly. Mary giggled.

“Tell him I said hi too, Kate,” Mary told her and she nodded.

“I’ll be sure to. You have a nice time at lunch, Mary,” Kate said as Carson turned, carrying Mary to the door.

“We will,” Mary giggled, “so long as I don’t have Jell-O.”

Kate, who had heard about the Jell-O incident from Teyla, laughed. “I think we’ll be safe even if you do have it. I’ll see you after lunch.”

As Kate’s door closed behind them, Carson set Mary down. “Much as I’d love to carry you, lass, you’re almost too big for it,” he sighed and she smiled up at him.

“That’s okay. I’ll just hold your hand,” she said as they headed toward the cafeteria. After a few moments, though, she looked up at him.

“Da, will you still hug me when I’m grown up?” she asked softly, a worried look in her blue eyes.

He stopped in his tracks and got down on one knee, looking her right in the eye. “I’ll still hug you when you’ve got gray hair. You’re my wee Mary and nothing changes that,” he told her and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He leaned back after a moment and peered at her. “Why are you so worried about that?” he asked curiously and she wouldn’t look at him. “Mary?”

“I’m not worried, Da. I just wanted to know,” she replied in an honest tone. “I’m not like everyone else so I wondered if you’d still love me.”

He hugged her again. “I’m your Da and I’ll always love you,” he told her firmly and gently tapped her on the nose with his index finger.

She giggled softly. “Is anybody sick today?” she asked as they continued on their way to the cafeteria.

“Not really sick but there were a few injuries,” he answered and his daughter giggled again.

“Laura forgot her ankle wrap again, didn’t she?” Mary asked with an impish grin and Carson stared at her.

“Mary, how did you know about that?” he questioned softly as they entered the cafeteria. She smiled up at him.

“Ailis told me,” she said simply and let go of his hand to pick up two sets of wrapped silverware.

Silently, Carson picked up two trays and watched his daughter as she waved at Elizabeth, who waved back. _“Who in the world is Ailis?”_ he thought, wracking his brain to recall if there was anyone in Atlantis with that name. _“The better question would be: how did this Ailis know about it?”_

“Da, what’s wrong?” he suddenly heard her ask. When he looked at her, he saw concern in her eyes. Shaking himself mentally, he smiled at her.

“Not a thing, lass,” he told her and proceeded to put plates on both of the trays. “Did you have fun reading this morning?” he asked and she nodded.

“Kate has really good books. She says that she needs new ones for me though. I guess I read them too fast,” she said, smiling ruefully.

In that moment, Carson realized that Mary knew exactly how different she was from other children her age. Holding out her tray to her, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with liking to read, Mary. In fact, it’s a very good thing.”

As she took her tray, she nodded. “That’s what Kate says. She says I’ve got good retention too. That means I’m smart, right?” she said, turning and following him to the two empty seats at Elizabeth’s table.

“Aye, it does. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to work at what you’re doing. Just because something seems easy doesn’t always mean that it is,” he told her, smiling at Elizabeth as he set his tray down and helped Mary climb up into her seat. She was still just small enough to need a little help but he had a feeling that it would change before too much longer.

“So how was your first tutoring session?” Elizabeth asked the little girl across from her.

“It was a lot of fun but we ran out of books,” Mary told her before taking a bite of her chicken.

Carson caught Elizabeth’s look of surprise and nodded. “She’s read every single book and practically memorized them. She also prints very well and she’s working on cursive writing,” he reported with a smile.

“If you keep learning at this rate, you’ll have to start working like the other scientists,” Elizabeth teased, smiling at Mary.

The little girl looked at her almost solemnly and shook her head. “I want to be a doctor like Da. I’d be good at it,” she answered seriously and Elizabeth nodded.

“I bet you would be. Carson’s an excellent doctor,” she said, smiling at the Scotsman.

After that, the topic turned to the little things that happened every day in Atlantis. Carson and Elizabeth were both surprised by just how much Mary noticed, both making mental notes to keep a close eye on the little girl.

~*~*~

When Carson picked Mary up from Kate’s that afternoon, he noticed that she seemed out of sorts. He took Kate aside and asked her what happened.

Kate sighed. “I’m not sure. She was all right when you brought her back after lunch and was doing fine until almost three. That’s when she got really upset and didn’t want to do anything anymore,” she reported and Carson stared at her in alarm.

At three o’clock, Elizabeth had called him into her office. The SGC wanted a full medical report on the Atlantis crew, Mary included. They also wanted it from him in person which would mean going back to Earth for at least two weeks. But Mary couldn’t have known about that. Or could she?

“I think I know what’s wrong,” he murmured and went over to the table where Mary was drawing. He knelt down next to her and lightly touched her chin, turning her face to his.

She definitely wasn’t happy and it looked as if she’d been crying. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed and she sniffled every few seconds.

“You know I wouldn’t leave you behind, don’t you?” he asked her and her eyes lit up. His suspicion had been correct. Mary knew that he had to go back to Earth to give his report.

“I’d get to go with you?” she whispered worriedly and he nodded.

“I’d insist upon it. If I have to go to Earth, then my wee Mary goes with me,” he assured her, smiling as she suddenly hugged him tightly.

“I didn’t want you to go without me,” she murmured and he laughed softly.

“I wasn’t planning to. And there’s something you didn’t know,” he told her and she leaned back to look at him curiously. “I got special permission for you to not only come with me but also to pick out any and all things you’ll need till you’re grown up. How does that sound?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Really?” she asked in surprise and he nodded.

“Really. Now, there might be people that want to ask you a lot of questions. If they do, be honest and polite. Okay?” he said, giving her a slightly stern look.

“I will, Da. I promise,” she answered solemnly and he hugged her.

“Are you ready to go then? Teyla asked me if you could have dinner with her on the mainland,” he asked and watched his daughter’s face light up.

“Can I go with her? Did you tell her I could go?” Mary bubbled excitedly.

“Yes, you may go with her. And yes, I told her you could. She’s leaving in a little while so we have to hurry,” Carson told her and Mary bounced to her feet.

“Then we gotta go now, Da. See you tomorrow, Kate,” Mary announced, pulling Carson towards the door.

Kate laughed, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mary. Have fun with Teyla.”

Carson threw Kate a wave and an apologetic look as his daughter practically dragged him out of Kate’s office. He hadn’t seen her this excited since she’d gotten to sit on Sheppard’s lap in one of the puddle jumpers while it was a few feet off the floor.

While they were heading toward their quarters, he asked, “Mary, who is Ailis?” He’d been wondering about that since she’d mentioned the name earlier.

“She watched over me while I was in the chrysos,” Mary stated in a matter of fact tone, skipping along beside him.

“Did she? Was she one of the people that the Wraith hurt?” he asked gently and she nodded.

“Uh huh. She told Teyla where to find me. It’s a good thing she did. I would’ve died if she hadn’t,” Mary explained as if it made perfect sense.

Carson remembered what Teyla had told him about the dying woman. His brow furrowed as he wondered how Mary knew about it. Deciding to wait until later to ask her any more questions about it, he pushed it to the back of his mind. He didn’t want to worry Mary with his own fears.

~*~*~

Stopping off at their quarters long enough for Mary to change clothes, Carson looked at the stacks of clothes that she’d already outgrown. He hoped that she’d stop growing soon. If she didn’t, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“I’m ready, Da,” Mary told him, smiling brightly. He looked at her and smiled. She was wearing an outfit not unlike one of Teyla’s casual outfits. Mary seemed to idolize Teyla and he didn’t think that was a bad thing. It helped that Teyla adored the girl as well.

“Then we’d better hurry and get to the jumper bay. If we don’t, she may leave without you,” he joked and she giggled.

They left their quarters and hurried to the jumper bay where they found Teyla waiting for them.

“You are just in time, Mary. I was about to leave,” Teyla teased with a kind smile as Mary bounced up to her.

“I told Da to hurry,” Mary laughed and Carson grinned.

“Aye, it was my fault,” he agreed and gave Mary a hug. “You behave yourself, Mary.”

“I always do, don’t I, Teyla?” Mary said, smiling as she hugged him back.

“Yes, she does. She is always on her best behavior,” Teyla agreed, putting an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

Carson stepped back a little as Teyla and Mary went into the puddle jumper and the back door closed. He gave a little wave as they appeared in the cockpit window. They both waved back and he watched as the jumper bay doors opened, Teyla piloting the puddle jumper upward and out of the city.

Sighing slightly, he turned and headed for the cafeteria. It looked like he’d be eating dinner alone tonight.

~*~

It was nearly 9:00 when Teyla delivered a slightly dirty and rather sleepy Mary back to Carson. He smiled as the little girl went straight to her dresser and got out her pajamas.

“Bath first,” he called out as she turned back her bed.

“I know,” she sighed though she smiled at him. “See you tomorrow, Teyla,” she called out, waving before she disappeared into the bathroom.

“Was she all right?” Carson asked and Teyla nodded, smiling.

“Yes, she was. I am sorry that she is dirty but the children were playing a game and she joined them,” Teyla told him.

“That’s okay. I’m just glad that she had fun,” he said with a smile.

“She did. You should not worry about her behavior, Carson. You have raised her properly,” Teyla said, resting a hand on his arm.

He chuckled slightly. “I don’t think it’s so much that I’ve raised her. She’s growing so fast that I can barely keep up.”

“But you have been the primary influence on her. And that is a very good thing. Now I will say goodnight. Mary is tired and I am certain that you are as well,” she said with a smile before turning to go.

“Thank you, Teyla. For everything…and goodnight,” Carson replied as Teyla left.

Mary came out of the bathroom about ten minutes later, much cleaner and dressed in her pajamas. Da?” she called out softly and he looked up.

“What’s the matter, lass?” he asked and then blinked. The legs of her pajamas were much shorter than they had been this morning. She must have grown at least three more inches.

“I think I grew again,” she commented, looking miserable.

He rose to his feet and went to her. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Mary. We’ll just have to find you some new pajamas,” he told her in a comforting tone. He knew that her rapid growth bothered her even though she didn’t mention it.

“Am I ever going to stop growing?” she sighed in exasperation and he chuckled softly, hugging her.

“Eventually, lass. Eventually. Now, into bed with you. It’s late,” he said softly, lightly kissing her on the forehead.

Nodding, Mary jumped into bed, snuggling down under the blankets. Carson reached for her doll but Mary shook her head.

“I don’t need it, Da. But don’t get rid of it, okay?” she told him and he smiled. She was definitely growing up.

“I won’t. Go to sleep now,” he said softly, turning off the light beside her bed and returning to his own side of the room.

As he sat back down in his chair, he heard her call out softly. “I love you, Da.”

“I love you too, Mary. Sweet dreams,” he replied and settled in to finish reading the medical journal he’d started on earlier.


	7. First Time Away From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He still doesn't have this whole parenting thing in hand yet.

Two weeks had passed since Mary’s first day of tutoring and Kate had been correct. Mary was exceptionally intelligent. She had also grown more. On the day that they were to depart Atlantis for Earth, Mary was the physical image of an 11 year old with the learning capacity of a 17 year old. Fortunately, a few of the female expedition members were able to loan Mary some clothes since she didn’t have any left that fit her.

~*~

“She’s gone from 8 to 11 in two weeks,” Carson sighed heavily as he watched his daughter talking to Hermiod. 

Col. Caldwell smiled. “Be glad there aren’t any teenage boys in Atlantis,” he joked and Carson gave him a dirty look.

“Don’t remind me. It’s bad enough that she’s bloody fascinated with Maj. Lorne as of late,” Carson informed him quietly.

Caldwell tried not to smile. He was certain that Mary wasn’t the only female in Atlantis that was fascinated by the major. “She’ll grow out of it, Doctor. They always do,” he said, trying to reassure the Scotsman.

“I certainly hope so. Elizabeth says that she’s always in the Gate room whenever he comes back from off-world. And, from what I’ve heard, the worst is yet to come,” Carson sighed and then smiled as his daughter hurried over to him.

“Hermiod’s neat, Da. And he’s so polite,” she gushed, smiling up at him.

“Yes, he is. But you have to make sure that you don’t keep him from his work,” he told her and, to his utter surprise, Mary rolled her eyes.

Caldwell coughed and it sounded suspiciously like choked laughter. “I’m sure she won’t. Hermiod thinks that Mary is very interesting,” he commented and Mary giggled. He seemed to look past Mary and then smiled. “I think Dr. Lester is ready for your lesson,” he observed, pointing just beyond the girl.

Mary turned and saw the mathematician waving. “Math…oh joy,” she sighed and then smiled. “I’ll see you later, Da…and I’ll behave myself,” she giggled before walking away.

“How does she know what I’m going to say?” Carson demanded quietly, watching as his daughter left the bridge.

“Because you always tell her to behave. She’s a good kid, Doctor. You’re doing things right,” Caldwell laughed as Carson just shook his head.

“I hope so,” was all he said before leaving the bridge as well. He wanted to go over a few of the medical reports that he had to turn in to the SGC.

~*~

Three weeks into the trip, Mary experienced something completely natural. The only problem was that Carson wasn’t sure how to handle it. He only knew that he should have had this talk with her sooner.

~*~

He jerked awake to find Mary leaning over his bed, a terrified look on her face.

“What’s wrong, Mary?” he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m bleeding,” she informed him and he snapped into alertness.

“Did you hurt yourself? How did it happen?” he rushed out and watched as Mary rolled her eyes at him yet again. He’d have to talk to her about that.

“Da, I’m bleeding _down there_!” she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide and filled with worry.

“Oh no,” he groaned and put his face in his hands. He hadn’t been expecting this. In fact, he had been hoping that she wouldn’t experience it.

“For God’s sake, Da, do something! I could bleed to death,” Mary pleaded, grabbing his wrists and shaking them.

Carson took a few deep breaths and lowered his hands, turning them so he could hold her hands. “It’s all right, Mary. You may not believe it, but it’s perfectly natural for this to be happening to you,” he said gently, hoping to calm her.

She gave him an incredulous look. “It’s natural for me to bleed like this?!?”

He nodded. “Yes, it is. All women do and it usually begins around your age. You see, I wasn’t sure if it would even apply to you…so I didn’t think to tell you about it,” he admitted and was surprised to see his daughter glare at him.

“You knew this would happen and you didn’t warn me? Da, that’s so wrong,” she groaned, pouting slightly.

“I know, Mary, and I’m sorry. But I can tell you everything I know about it and maybe we can ask one of the female crewmembers if they have any, erm, supplies you can borrow until we reach Earth. How does that sound?” he asked, seeing complete embarrassment on her face.

“Okay,” she muttered and turned away. As she went to her bag, he heard her mutter under her breath, “I can’t believe he didn’t warn me about this.”

Carson sighed heavily. Not only was it time for the _‘your body is changing’_ talk but it appeared to be time for the sex talk as well. He wasn’t looking forward to this…not at all.

~*~

By noon, Carson had explained periods to his daughter and had the talk with her about ‘the birds and the bees’. Dr. Lester had been kind enough to share her feminine supplies with Mary and had handled the more delicate aspects. He was oddly grateful when Mary informed him that she understood the whole ‘becoming a woman’ thing. She didn’t like it but she understood it.

~*~

Thankfully, the rest of the journey passed uneventfully. They were only a day from Earth when Mary asked a very loaded question.

“Da, will I get to see your family?” she asked as she was finishing a reading assignment that Lt. Iverson had given her. He looked at her for a moment and then sighed. He didn’t know the answer to that and wondered just how to explain it to her.

“I’m not sure, Mary,” he began slowly, setting aside his laptop. “You see, my family doesn’t know that I’m working in Atlantis. I wasn’t allowed to tell them because of security.” He watched her face as she processed that information.

“So you can’t tell them how you got me because I’m from a different planet,” she observed quietly, biting her bottom lip. She wouldn’t look at him. He went to her and hugged her.

“If I could figure out a way to tell them about you, Mary, I would. And I’d be proud for you to meet my mother. She’d adore you,” he told her reassuringly. She looked up at him and he could see a thin veil of tears in her eyes.

“She would?” Mary asked, sounding like the fragile 11 year old that she was.

“Aye, she would. She’s always wanted grandchildren,” he said softly, kissing her on the forehead. When he looked at her again, she was smiling.

“I think I’d like her too, Da,” she murmured, hugging him tightly. “Do you think the people at the SGC will like me?”

“They’d be mad not to like you,” he laughed and then grew serious. “Do you remember when I told you that they’ll want to ask you questions?” She nodded. “Well, they’ll likely be asking a lot more of them since you’ve grown up so quickly. Just be honest with them and it’ll be fine. You don’t have to be afraid of them either, all right?”

“You’ll be with me, won’t you?” she asked, a worried look in her eyes.

He smiled reassuringly. “Of course, I will. They can’t ask you questions without me being there. I’m your Da, after all,” he said and the look of worry faded.

“I guess I can live with that,” she said simply and he nodded. He certainly hoped that she could.


End file.
